Unfailing Love!
BRD REFLECTIONS
Genesis 44 & Psalm 44 (NIV)
(Daryl Tay, Pastoral Team Member, BeTween)
READ:
Whilst I read both Genesis 44 & Psalm 44, the verses that caught my attention were:
Genesis 44
- V16: “What can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants’ guilt. We are now my lord’s slaves—we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup.”
- V33: “Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. 3
- V34: How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come on my father.”
Psalm 44
- V26: Rise up and help us; rescue us because of your unfailing love.
OBSERVE:
As I read today’s passages in Genesis 44, I was drawn to observe the behaviour of Joseph’s brothers. Let us not forget that these brothers were jealous of Joseph, hatched an evil plot to get rid of him and eventually sold him into slavery. I wondered what that guilt did to them over the many years, during which God was building Joseph up in Egypt. I realised God was not just doing a work in Joseph, He was also doing work in his brothers as well. They are no longer self-centred. They looked out for their youngest brother. They showed concern for their aged father.
Today, I am reminded that God can transform families with His love. You probably label Joseph’s family as broken and dysfunctional. It was built on a foundation of deceit and broken relationships. Yet, the LORD’s hand is not too short to do a redeeming work in this household.
As I read Psalm 44, I observed that the Psalmist was in turmoil. He spoke about what the LORD had done for his ancestors, and how He used to push back the enemies of His people. He wrestled with how God was rejecting and humbling them presently God was no longer going out with their armies, and they have become a reproach to their neighbours! He ended with a poignant plea for the LORD to awake, and to rescue because of His unfailing love.
In facing the “things that should not be” in this world: social injustices, poverty, oppression, it is natural for us to lament (hopefully not complain). Yet, I am reminded to cling to the LORD’s unfailing love.
APPLY:
With a newborn on the way, I find myself constantly wondering what kind of a father I will be. What kind of family will my wife and I have? It is my hope and prayer that above all the worldly hopes and dreams we have for our home, that the LORD will do His work. He is the only one that can mend broken or strained relationships, He is the one that can transform the self-centred to the merciful, He is the one that keeps us united in times of turmoil and tension.
I am also reminded, this Valentine’s Day, to return to my first lover. He is the one who first loved before the beginning of time. Above all, it is His unfailing love that keeps us journeying on, as we face a world fraught with things that “should not be”.
DO:
I will strive to cultivate intentional times that my family can
- Read His Word daily
- Pray and worship together
- Have a retreat with the LORD once a year
Personally, I also pray that through every labour I do for His kingdom’s ministry, that His unfailing love will ever be on my lips. Through all that I do, may people come to know of His unfailing love for them.
PRAY:
Dear LORD, I thank you so much for this time that I have to commune with you. Thank you for loving me, even though I am difficult to love. I pray that this year, you do your transformative work in our church and families. Just as you mended relationships in the household of Joseph, let it be done in many households at Wesley. I also pray that you keep my household and I rooted in your unfailing love. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.
